Indiana bets on creative economy
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
The state of Indiana is putting tens of millions of dollars behind arts and culture as an economic-development strategy.
The big picture: The people in the room during the 2026 Indiana Creative Economy Summit say the real challenge lies in turning those investments into lasting businesses, jobs and talent attraction.
By the numbers: Indiana's arts and cultural industries contributed $10.1 billion to the state's economy in 2023, according to Indianapolis creative nonprofit Pattern and the Indiana Economic Development Corp., up nearly 33% from $7.6 billion in 2020.
- But those industries represented about 2% of Indiana's gross state product, ranking 47th nationally.
- Pattern says that figure also doesn't capture the broader creative economy, which includes fields such as design, technology, fashion and media.
Zoom in: The theme of this month's two-day, Pattern-organized Indiana Creative Economy Summit — "Creativity Is Big Business" — reflected the push to treat creativity as more than just an amenity.
- Keynote speaker Carol Coletta, a Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow and public-space expert, urged Indiana leaders to look beyond parks, theaters, trails and cultural districts as physical projects.
- The real economic value, she argued, comes from what places make possible: people gathering, creative businesses growing, visitors spending money and talent choosing to stay.
State of play: The conversation is unfolding as Indiana deploys its largest statewide investment in creativity yet.
- READI 2.0's Arts & Culture Initiative awarded $62.3 million to 49 projects statewide this summer as part of a roughly $65 million initiative supported by Lilly Endowment.
- The projects are expected to generate more than $369 million in investment in the state's arts and culture economy.
- They range from cultural destinations and entertainment venues to public art and programs supporting artists and entrepreneurs.
What they're saying: Indiana's support of creatives took another symbolic step at the summit when Gov. Mike Braun designated September as Indiana Creative Economy Month for the first time.
- "Art is a business. Design is a business. Film, music, advertising and digital media all create jobs, generate economic activity and give talented Hoosiers a reason to build their careers here," Braun said in a statement.